31 October Tales
by tigressRising
Summary: 31 days in October. 31 themes. 31 Halloween tales.
1. Fall Leaves

Madoka took a deep breath and smiled. A crisp autumn breeze shook the trees, scattering fiery leaves everywhere. Fall was her favorite season. She loved sipping fresh apple cider, and loved the clear blue autumn skies, but most of all she loved how the trees wore their most brilliant reds and oranges and yellows, turning the forest into flame. She sighed contently. Koma Village was really beautiful in the fall, Madoka noted.

_We really need more days like this,_ she thought. _Days where we're not worrying about evil organizations or the end of the world. Days where we can relax and enjoy ourselves for once. _

An idea began forming in her mind…

* * *

><p><em>(Author's note: I was inspired to write this by a post I saw on Tumblr (link on my profile page). Due to there being 31 themes and currently less than three days left in October, I'm uploading #1-15 today. #16-30 will be on 1030, and #31 on 10/31. Sorry for the rather inconvenient set-up, but I wanted to have this finished before November.)_

_(Happy Halloween, everyone!)_


	2. Crow

Gingka grunted as he hefted a large bag of uncooked popcorn kernels. Behind him Tsubasa and Yu held several ears of corn each, while Yuki carried three bags of candy corn.

"Boy, this stuff is _heavy_!" Yu complained. "I don't see how we're going to get them to the B-Pit, never mind all the way to –"

A loud _Caw!_ interrupted, causing them to all look up. Suddenly a black bird swooped down, tangling its gnarled talons in Yu's hair. Yu screamed and tried to beat the crow off, dropping his ears of corn onto the ground.

"Yu!" Tsubasa and the others tried to help him, but then were besieged by three more crows that came out of nowhere. Tsubasa's pet eagle fought valiantly against the crows, but more blackbirds arrived until the group was completely overwhelmed. "Ah!" Yuki screamed. "Where did all these crows come from? I didn't know this city even _had_ crows!"

"I've had enough of this!" Gingka shouted as he pulled out his launcher. "Go Pegasus!" A blue streak cut through the air, finally scattering the blackbirds for good. "Is everyone alright?"

All of them had scratches on their arms and faces, not to mention ripped clothes and messy hair. The bags of popcorn kernels and candy corn had ripped, spilling their contents on the ground. The crows had stolen all the ears of corn.

Tsubasa sighed. "Let's wait until Gingka's dad gets off work. Then we can use his car to get more corn later."


	3. Pumpkin

"Hey Kenta, what do you think of this one?"

Kenta looked over to see Benkei holding up a pumpkin the size of his head. "That one looks great! Let's put it with the others." They had five pumpkins already, and needed just a few more until they would have enough.

Benkei grunted as he placed the pumpkin in the basket. "Why does Madoka need so many pumpkins, anyways?"

Kenta just shrugged. "I dunno." Then he and Benkei went back to looking for more good pumpkins.


	4. Treats

Madoka hummed a little as she placed another tray of cookies into the oven. She already had two trays of cookies cooling on the counter, next to the popcorn balls and the tiny bags of candy. Her next task would be to wrap the candy apples in colored cellophane.

She mentally planned out her schedule for this afternoon. After the apples, she had to decorate the cookies with frosting, and then go buy supplies for punch. And then she had to pack everything up and get it ready for the trip. Now that she thought about it, that was a lot of work for one girl. Maybe she could ask the others for help? Certainly not Gingka, Yu, or Benkei. They'd just eat everything. Kyoya was who-knows-where. Maybe Tsubasa – no, he was helping Kenta carve pumpkins. Today was Hikaru's day off. Maybe she would help.

Madoka allowed herself to have one of the cookies cooling on the counter. The sugariness made her smile. Today would be busy, but at least it would be sweet.


	5. Tricks

A crash in the hallway made Madoka look up. "Huh? What could that be?" She left the kitchen to go find out.

Yu took the opportunity to sneak in. Madoka was out of the kitchen just like he planned. Now there was no one to stop him from taking a bite out of some delicious sweets. His hand reached out for one of the cookies cooling on the counter. He wasn't going to take a lot, really, just enough to tide him over until lunchtime…

"_YU!_" He flinched. Madoka had returned much earlier than he expected. She quickly pulled Yu away from the cookies. "I thought I told you not to eat anything here! You know that these need to be saved for later!"

Yu pouted. "But _Madokaaaaaa_," he whined. "I just wanted one cookie! One itsy, bitsy cookie! Please?" He gave her the puppy eyes. Even Tsubasa had a hard time resisting the puppy eyes.

Fortunately Madoka was easier to crack than Tsubasa. "Fine," she huffed as she gave him a cookie. "But just one cookie. And you have to help me decorate them all later, all right?"

Yu nodded eagerly as he munched away. Madoka sighed. It looked like she would have a helper this afternoon after all.


	6. Mask

Tithi hummed as he picked out the right jars of paint. His mask had been looking rather chipped and faded of late, and he wanted to look his best if he was going to spend Halloween with Yu and Kenchi and Yo-Yo. Though personally he would be fine if Yo-Yo didn't come.

Tithi started with the eyes first, two white semicircles. He'd add the pupils once the paint was dry. He worked on the rest of his mask with yellow and pink paint. He couldn't wait for Halloween to come!


	7. Stars

"Higher – no, lower – perfect! Keep it there!"

Ryo sighed as he tied the string to the roof. He and Hokuto were decorating Koma Village by stringing lights between the rooftops. Or rather, Ryo was decorating since Hokuto was a dog. Hokuto just told him where to put them.

Ryo climbed down the ladder. "That's ten strings of lights down, and –" His face fell as he looked into their boxes of lights. "– a lot more to go." He sighed. "Still, it'll look incredible when this is all set up."

Hokuto just nodded. It was growing late. Above them, the night sky was filled with stars. Ryo could pick the constellations of Pisces, Aquarius, and even Pegasus.

Ryo sighed. "It's almost rather funny, isn't it? No matter how hard we try to replicate the stars, or drown them in light, the real stars will always be hanging above our heads, looking down on us from above."

Hokuto nodded. "Yes. But that is what beyblades are for; to bring the stars down to us."

Ryo nodded. "Yes." Then his stomach growled. "Well, it looks like I'm getting pretty hungry," he laughed. "Come on. Let's call it a day and go have dinner."


	8. Black Cat

Yuki did not like cats. Cats meant Johannes, and Johannes meant the creepy, cat-loving, crazy blader whose Beat Lynx nearly destroyed his Anubius in their first battle. Sure, he was a Legendary Blader now, but he still didn't like cats.

Which was why he walked by the kitten the first time he saw it. It was rather ordinary, with solid black fur and yellow eyes. The kitten sat alone in a cardboard box marked _Free Kittens_, peeping curiously out into the street. Yuki gave it a glance before continuing on his way. He had to go pick up Anubius from the B-Pit. Besides, some kindhearted stranger would come sooner or later and take it home. And if not, well, cats were hardy things. It could live on the streets, maybe even become part of Johannes' posse. The thought of Johannes made Yuki walk faster.

The cat was still there the next day, and the day after that. Yuki found it harder and harder to walk past it without a guilty conscience. Finally he stopped in front of the box. The kitten, previously sullen and morose, perked up at his approach, hopping out of the box and winding itself around his legs. Yuki froze before tentatively reaching out a hand to stroke it. It has really soft fur, he noted, as the kitten purred like a speedboat motor.

Reasons why he should and shouldn't take the kitten home competed in his head. It was a cat. Cats meant Johannes. It was just a kitten. It didn't have anything to do with Johannes. Kittens grew up to be cats. The kitten was cute. Cats clawed the furniture. Cats could be trained. Cats were noisy. Not all cats were noisy. He couldn't handle a cat. He couldn't leave the kitten here all by itself. Cats could live on their own. It would be mean to leave it to fend for itself. He didn't know how to take of a cat. He could learn.

Yuki sighed as he stroked the kitten's fur. If it were December, he could say something like _it's Christmas_ and take the kitten home with a clear conscience. But it was late October, and he was not going to wait for two months. Yuki studied the cat more closely. It was covered from nose to tail in ebony fur like the night sky, with amber eyes as twin moons. Black cats were supposed to be bad luck, but he couldn't see this little guy doing harm to anyone.

Yuki scooped the kitten up into his arms. _It's almost Halloween,_ he told himself. _What better than getting a black cat to celebrate?_ The kitten squirmed out of his grip and onto his shoulder, where it found a comfortable perch. Yuki chuckled.

Felis. He would name it Felis, after the cat constellation. Because Felis was a kitten, not a lynx.

Cats aren't so bad, Yuki thought as he walked away with his new friend on his shoulder.


	9. Candles

"Okay Kenta, stand back while I light this." Tsubasa and Kenta had just finished carving pumpkins and placing candles inside. Now Tsubasa was going to light one of the jack-o-lanterns to see how it looked.

Tsubasa struck a match on the side of the matchbox and held the flame to the candlewick. It took a few tries, but finally the candle caught fire and began to burn. Tsubasa shook out the match. "What do you think, Kenta?" he asked.

"Hmm…" Kenta studied the jack-o-lantern. In the bright afternoon light, the candle felt pale and weak. "I dunno. It doesn't look too good in this light." Tsubasa nodded. "You're right. Let's cover those windows. These jack-o-lanterns will be used in the dark, after all."

With the blinds drawn, the jack-o-lantern looked much better. The candle gave a warm, cheering glow that illuminated the entire room. Kenta grinned, and Tsubasa allowed himself a small smile. Halloween by candlelight. What a sight.

* * *

><p><em>(Author's note: please stay safe this Halloween. That includes not being reckless with fire and letting mature, capable adults handle open flames - which is why Tsubasa is lighting the candle and not Kenta. This has been a message from the author.)<em>


	10. Spider

"Aw, hurry up already Tsubasa! I want to be ready _before_ Halloween is over!" Yu whined.

"Well if you'd stop squirming so much we would have been done by now." Tsubasa pulled the costume over Yu's head. "There. Now you're finished."

Yu was going as a spider for Halloween. Madoka had sewn four extra arms onto a dark brown hoodie. Add two arms and two legs clad in brown pants and you had a spider costume.

Tsubasa flipped up Yu's hood, which had six green eyes to complement the two on Yu's face. "Alright," Tsubasa said. "Now we can head out."


	11. Gravestone

Wales shivered as he walked through the graveyard. In hindsight, taking a shortcut through a graveyard at sundown just to shave five minutes off the time it took to walk from the costume shop to his house was a bad idea. But the costume was heavy, and at the time it was tempting. But now it was dark, and Wales could barely see three feet in front of his face. He cursed himself for his stupidity. He could have sent a servant to fetch the costume, or driven to the shop instead of walking, but _no,_ he _had_ to walk there all by himself because it would be good training.

Suddenly Wales tripped over a rock, and tumbled face-first onto the wet grass. He picked himself up. At least his costume was still clean (it was in one of those special plastic bags for a reason), though he couldn't say the same for his current attire.

His hand brushed against the stone for only a moment, but it was enough for him to recognize the letters carved there: _Art_. Wales froze. He hadn't tripped over an ordinary rock – he'd tripped over a gravestone.

He hadn't really wanted to, but his hands "read" the rest of the gravestone anyways: _Here lies our beloved Arthur._ Wales paused at that, before quickly feeling over the rest of the gravestone. Yes, the description, the dates, the carved ivy at the edges – there was no doubt in Wales' mind; he'd tripped over his great-grandfather's gravestone. He bristled with embarrassment and indignity. It was one thing to trip over a random stranger; it was another thing to trip over your great-grandfather Arthur.

Wait a second. Great-grandfather Arthur's gravestone was exactly fifty paces north from his house. Wales picked himself and his costume off the ground. Now that he knew which way was home, he could get there in no time.

Wales left the graveyard, sending a prayer of thanks to great-grandfather Arthur.


	12. Bones

"Boo!" Masamune jumped out from behind the corner, startling Coach Steel. "Ah!" The coach dropped his bey repair equipment. "Masamune!" Coach Steel growled. "What the heck was that for?"

"Hah, scared ya Coach, didn't I?" Masamune teased as he took off his skull mask. The mask plus the black bodysuit with painted glow-in-the-dark bones made it fairly obvious that Masamune was going as a skeleton for Halloween. "I'm practicing to be the number one scariest guy on Halloween! So what do you think?"

"I think that you oughta go practice somewhere else, or you'll give the others bad ideas. Now shoo or it's five hundred shadow launches for ya!" Coach Steel threatened as he picked up his stuff. Masamune groaned in disappointment and left.


	13. Spirit

It wasn't King's fault that he'd been putting off getting a Halloween costume for ages and now had nothing to wear for the holiday. Okay, so maybe it was. But at least it was a problem that could be easily fixed.

One white bedsheet (hopefully Masamune wouldn't mind) and a pair of scissors were easy enough to find lying around the house. Cutting two holes in the bedsheet was much harder. He kept making the eyeholes too small, or too big when he tried to fix them, or too far apart, or too close. After the seventh failed attempt (he _really_ hoped Masamune wouldn't mind) King finally lost his patience and had VariAres rip two holes in the fabric.

_Finally,_ King thought as he pulled the sheet over his head. Okay, so maybe going as a bedsheet ghost for Halloween was a little cliché. But he would more than make up for that by being the number one ghost.

He just really hoped Masamune wouldn't be too mad about the bedsheets.


	14. Orange

Orange paper streamers – check. Orange napkins – check. Orange balloons – check. Orange tablecloths – check. Orange paper lanterns – check. Orange flaming hair poking around in the kitchen – wait, what?

"Gingka!" Madoka yelled as she shooed him out of the kitchen. "For the last time, I told you to stay away from the food!"


	15. Black

With Tsubasa on food guarding duty, Madoka decided to try on her costume instead of worrying about the Halloween supplies.

First, a long black sequined gown that reached just above her knees. Then came two ebony colored silk gloves that were long enough to reach her elbows. After that, two jet-black knee-high boots that fit perfectly on her feet.

"And now for the finishing touch…" Madoka murmured as she placed a black witch's hat on her head. She looked carefully at her reflection before tilting the hat at a jaunty angle. Madoka smiled. "Perfect."


	16. Bats

"Chao Xin! We have bats in our pantry!" Mei-Mei shouted as she ran out of the kitchen. Chao Xin sighed and put down his magazine. "Don't you mean bats in the _belfry_, Mei-Mei?"

"No, she is correct," said Chi Yun as he followed Mei-Mei. "There are actually several bats who are now residing in our kitchen pantry."

"What?" Da Shan had just entered the room. Mei-Mei waved them into the kitchen. "I mean it!" she said, flinging open the pantry doors. "Look!" At least two dozen bats were hanging off of the shelves. A few squeaked angrily at the sudden light, while the rest stayed asleep. Da Shan scratched his head. "They must have flown in from the storm last night."

"But what are we going to do?" Mei-Mei asked. "I was going to make food for the party, but the bats are all over the supplies!"

"Hold on a sec," Chao Xin said. "I have an idea." He cut an apple into several slices, and then lined them into a trail from the pantry to the open window. "This is perfect!" he said. "Once those bats smell the fruit, they'll follow the trail outside, and then we can shut the window behind them!"

"…Chao Xin?" Chi Yun asked.

"Yeah?"

"Those aren't the type of bats that eat fruit. Chi Yun believes they eat bugs instead."

"What? Man, you should have told me that _before_ I wasted a perfectly good apple!"

"Then perhaps Chi Yun should try his own method." Chi Yun grabbed a bat out of the pantry and tossed it out the window. Or at least he tried to. The bat simply turned around and flew back to the pantry. He tried several tries, with the same result. "Chi Yun thinks this isn't working."

"Oh, I've had it up to there with these bats!" Mei-Mei shouted. ("It's up to _here_," Chao Xin corrected.) She grabbed a broom and started swiping at the bats. "Shoo! Go away!" This just made the bats angry. They circled the room, screeching and diving at the four. "Ah! My hair!" Chao Xin shouted as he swatted the bats. In the end, the bats returned to the pantry, and Team Wang Hu Zhong was now disheveled and frustrated.

"Why don't we just wait for nightfall?" Da Shan suggested. "The bats will leave to go hunting. And then we can simply lock them out."

Like most of Da Shan's plans, it worked. Once the bats left for the night, they locked every door and window in Beylin Temple. Now the bats hung on the eaves of the temple roofs. But everyone agreed it was better than having them in the pantry.


	17. Bugs

_Closer… Closer…_ Zeo slowly crept towards his target, his hands clasped around his precious cargo. He was only ten paces away…five paces…four, three, two, one…

"Boo!" Zeo shouted as he dropped a moth on Toby's face. "AHH!" Toby screamed, brushing the bug away from his face. The moth flew away, off to skies unknown.

"Hey!" Zeo complained. "You own me a moth! Do you know how hard it is to catch one this time of year?"

Toby chased Zeo around the Dungeon Gym for that for nearly half an hour. But in Zeo's opinion, it was "totally worth it".


	18. Cauldron

The flames snapped and crackled as Madoka combined the ingredients. One gallon of cider. A quart of water. Three scoops of sugar. Sliced oranges, lemons, and limes. A handful of dates. And a generous spoonful of cinnamon for that special kick. All stirred together in a large black pot with a wooden spoon until the concoction reached a boil.

"Mmm, smells great!" she said as she turned down the stove flames. "This punch is going to be a real hit!"


	19. Eyeballs

Kenta swallowed down a wave of repulsion. Boy, these things were slimy. They made his hands sticky with their juice, and yet were still slippery enough to keep sliding out of his hands and onto the floor. Those had to be thrown out – the spoiled ones couldn't be used. Why were these things so hard to prepare? Kenta was beginning to regret helping Madoka with this project of hers. _Where'd she even get so many in such short notice?_ He wondered.

Oh well, no use griping about it. He had dealt with worse. Kenta sighed and went back to peeling grapes.


	20. Monster

Tsubasa shivered as he looked at himself in the mirror. The Dark Power hadn't bothered him for ages. He hoped it would never bother him again.

_'__Tis the season to be scary, fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la,_ he thought ruefully. Yu had been singing that nonstop since stores began putting up Halloween decorations. Halloween was a time for people to scare and pretend to scare each other for fun, and then gorge themselves on sweets. Lucky them. Those people didn't know what true fear was like; the fear of hurting those you loved, of turning into a monster.

Tsubasa sighed. Normally he would skip out on something like this, but Yu was so excited, and Tsubasa figured the kid had already been through enough. Which was why he was standing in front of the mirror preparing his Halloween costume when he could have been doing something productive like training, or meditating, or getting some sleep.

Tsubasa dipped a finger in purple body paint and trailed it across his arm, winding it across and sideways like _– swirling shadows wrapping around him tendrils of darkness surrounding him closing him in – _and continued until he had several undulating lines on his arm. Then he repeated the process _ - memories of despair of bleakness of rage of darkness – _on his other arm.

Now for the finishing touch. Tsubasa opened a contacts case and carefully lifted the crimson lenses out. Then he slowly, _youdonthavetodothiswhyareevenyoudoingthis_, hesitantly, placed the lenses over his own eyes.

He flinched when he saw the finished product. The red eyes, the swirling shadows – it hit too close to home, if that _monster_ he used to be could be called "home". Some inner voice within him told him he didn't have to do it if he didn't want to. But as much as it pained him, he _did_ want to.

To fight your monsters, you had to face them head on.


	21. Curse

Dynamis fingered a broken necklace. He was planning to go as his ancestor for Halloween. Normally he wouldn't do something like this, but Tithi had gotten all excited for Halloween and Dynamis couldn't refuse.

He sighed. The necklace that once embodied the curse that plagued his bloodline had been shattered by Kyoya. He knew that. But just the memory of what it had done to him, how it had turned him against the heavens and his friends, still made Dynamis shiver.

He lifted the necklace to his neck, then placed it back down. It had been worn by his ancestor eons ago, but Dynamis decided a little historical inaccuracy wouldn't be too terrible.


	22. Poison

"Gingka, I _told _you those burgers weren't ready yet! You'll be lucky if you don't get food poisoning!" Madoka scolded. Gingka grinned sheepishly. "Sorry Madoka, but I was so _hungry_, especially since you made all that food and wouldn't let any of us have it. But I'll be fine in time for Halloween, right?"

Madoka just shook her head and gave Gingka some medicine for his stomach.


	23. Fear

Hyoma gulped. _Stay calm_, he told himself. The box he held shook in his hands. _It's not even real this time._

Ever since his battle with Reiji, Hyoma had been terrified of snakes. The thought of those writhing, scaly _things_ sinking their poisonous fangs into his precious Aries…a shudder went down his spine.

But he had to get over this. He was the protector of Koma Village, after all, which meant he had to be able to protect the village from anything and everything. Including snakes. Hyoma frowned at a recent memory. Last week he spotted what had looked like a snake outside his window and refused to leave his house, instead hiding under the covers and hoping it would go away. Hokuto told him it was just an old garden hose, but Hyoma wouldn't believe him. Hokuto had to go remove the hose himself before Hyoma would come out, albeit tentatively. He had spent the rest of the day feeling ashamed of himself. What kind of a protector was afraid of a garden hose?

Which was why he holding this box in the first place. Hyoma sighed as he placed the box in his bed. With a feeling of dread, he opened it. Inside was a mass of green silk. Hyoma picked it up, allowing the fabric to unfurl to its full length.

A snake costume. He was going to be a snake for Halloween. _No use putting it off, _Hyoma decided. He slid it over his head. The costume was a glorified dress made from silk and velvet, with a long train in the back for the "tail". There were two overly-long sleeves for his arms, and when he held them by his side it looked like he had no arms at all.

There was a hood in the back. Hyoma put it on. Then he made the mistake of looking in the mirror. The hood was beautifully designed, with yellow eyes sitting above a wide mouth, from which two large fangs hung, framing Hyoma's face perfectly.

Hyoma screamed, shutting his eyes and turning away. In the mirror it had looked like the snake was eating him. _Cold, scaly bodies surrounding him, choking him until he couldn't breathe, couldn't think, filling his lungs his veins with poison – _No. Hyoma forced himself to take deep breaths. _It's not real,_ he told himself. _Reiji's gone, he can't hurt you, he can't hurt Aries, you're safe in Koma Village, and it's. Just. A. Dumb. Snake._

Hyoma opened his eyes and took another look in the mirror. This time he didn't see a snake. He saw himself in a ridiculous snake costume where he could barely walk without tripping over his own feet.

Hyoma laughed.


	24. Teeth

Kyoya scowled in front of the mirror, fangs gleaming in the bathroom light. This was stupid. Why was he going to this stupid party anyways? Oh yeah, because Madoka had told him to go and made clear that not going wasn't an option.

It would have been bad enough if it were a regular stupid party. But it was October, so of course it had to be a stupid _Halloween_ party, which meant he had to wear a stupid costume as well. After much deliberation, Kyoya decided on a simple black cloak with red lining. That plus his fangs would make him a passable vampire. Kyoya Tategami, a freaking _vampire_. The idea was so stupid Kyoya wasn't sure whether he wanted to laugh or jump off the roof.

There was a pounding at the door. "Hey Kyoya buddy, are you done yet?" Benkei asked. "I kinda need to change into my costume too pal!" Kyoya sighed. He hoped Benkei's costume wouldn't be too stupid or embarrassing. Knowing Benkei, it would be both.

Kyoya gave himself one last scowl in the mirror before flinging the door open in front of a startled Benkei.


	25. Slime

"Ugh!" Hyoma made a face as green goop coated his shoes. "Gingka!"

"Sorry Hyoma! I didn't mean to drop it, really!"

Hyoma sighed before grabbing a mop. "Don't worry about it. Come on, I'll help you clean up the Jell-o."


	26. Demon

"Hey Toby, could you help me with my wings?" Zeo asked. Toby nodded. "Sure." The white-haired blader adjusted the cardboard bat wings, which were attached to a leather jacket with copious amounts of duct tape.

"Thanks," Zeo said as he adjusted his devil horns (on a headband). "Let's see…wings, tail, horns…not a bad demon costume," Toby admitted.

"Yeah, but it's still missing one last thing," Zeo said. He pulled out a pair of shades, and placed them on his face. He gave himself double pistols and a wink. "_Now_ I'm ready."

"Zeo, it's night. How do you expect to see with sunglasses on?"

"…Shut up Toby."


	27. Reaper

Aguma pulled a long dark robe over his head, the fabric reaching past his ankles and pooling onto the floor. Next came black gloves to cover his hands, and for the final touch, a skull mask hiding all but his eyes. A reaper was his bey after all, so it was only natural that Aguma go as a reaper for Halloween.

Aguma picked up his scythe. He originally planned to bring in a real one, but then considered the possibilities for harm, especially in a large group of untrained children. He settled for spraypainting a carved wooden blade silver. Aguma gave the scythe a few experimental swings.

"Aguma! You done yet? It's almost time to go!" Bao shouted. Aguma quickly gathered his things and began heading out the door. "I'm _coming_!"


	28. Blood

There was blood. Blood on nearly every inch of him, dripping down his arms and running down his face. The being shuffled closer and closer, until finally –

* * *

><p><em>(Author's note: apparently this chapter and Chapter 29 were posted wrong. Thanks to shadowritergirl for pointing this out!)<em>


	29. Scream

"_AAAAAHHHHHHHH!_"


	30. Undead

"Woah! Tithi, calm down! It's just me!" Gingka quickly removed his zombie mask while Dynamis tried to soothe the little boy. Madoka whacked him in the stomach. "I told you that was too much fake blood! Now look! Tithi's almost as pale as a ghost because of you!'

Gingka doubled over in pain. "Ow! Madoka, don't do that! My stomach's still sore from those burgers. It feels like I'm _dying~_"

* * *

><p><em>(Author's note: phew! That's it for today. Note to self: never try to churn out 15 chapters in one day ever again, no matter how short they seem. Tomorrow's update should be much easier. It'll also be the last of these Tales. See you tomorrow!)<em>


	31. Full Moon

"Don't be such a whiner," Madoka chided as she led Gingka, Dynamis, and Tithi to Koma Village. There the Halloween party was in full swing, with costumed bladers mingling together, eating the food, admiring the scenery, and catching up on old times. Strands of lights hung by Gingka's dad combined with paper lanterns and jack-o-lanterns to provide the party with a cheerful glow, while the stars twinkled merrily from above. A full moon hung in the sky, completing the picturesque scene.

Tithi ran off to join Yu, whose spider "arms" bobbed up and down as the Libra blader ran to greet his friend. Tsubasa stood nearby sipping punch, the light casting shadows on his painted arms. Team Wang Hu Zhong was recounting a funny story about bats to Kenta and Yuki, with Aguma and Bao as reapers to confirm their tale. Felis the black kitten stayed perched on Yuki's shoulder the whole time, and received more than a few treats and scratches behind the ears from adoring girls and children. Kyoya stayed in the background, trying not to be seen in his vampire costume. Masamune, King (who had ditched his ghost costume), and Benkei (as the Masked Bull, of course – everyone knew who he was, but pretended not to for his sake) were engaged in a contest to see who could scarf down the most corn on the cobs in ten minutes. Gingka watched them forlornly before putting on his zombie mask and shuffling away.

Team Excalibur had also arrived: Julian was King Arthur, Sophie was Lady Guinevere, Wales was Sir Lancelot, and Klaus was a Viking. Zeo and Toby were munching on candied apples as a demon and angel, respectively. Chris sampled a few "eyeballs" (really just peeled grapes) before taking a bite out of a Halloween cookie. Hokuto walked around eating up scraps dropped on the ground, while everyone tried to stay out of the way of Hyoma's costume, whose tail had tripped up more than a few bladers.

"I'm impressed," Hikaru told Madoka as they munched on popcorn and candy corn. A fall breeze scattered fiery leaves, which glowed in the candlelight. Hikaru was in a purple witch's costume, to contrast from Madoka's black one. "You came up with this idea of having a Halloween party for everyone to let off steam, _and_ managed to buy, bake, and bring all of the supplies up to Koma Village. Not an easy task."

Madoka laughed and shook her head. "Hey! It wasn't just me! Everyone pitched in to help." The girls watched the others contently. The main commotion came from Masamune and King arguing over exactly how many cobs of corn they saw each other eat, while Benkei rubbed his stuffed belly. "It's nice to see everyone having a good time together, isn't it?" Madoka said. Hikaru nodded. "Yeah. It is." Above them, the full moon shone peacefully.

And so concluded one Halloween night.

* * *

><p><em>(Author's note: a big thank you to everyone who took the time to read this! As you can guess, this chapter wraps up all 31 tales into one. This was tiring to write at times, and fun to write all the time. A warm round of thanks to those who took the time to review as well!)<em>

_(Wishing everyone a happy Halloween! ~Tigress)_


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